Productivity, technology and working anywhere

This report by the Work Foundation and commissioned by Citrix, highlights the complex and often strained relationship between productivity, technology and work.

The global financial crisis has left a significant impression on business in the UK. Every economy has seen a sharp slowdown in productivity, but UK productivity has been particularly slow to recover and the gap with competing economies is getting wider. Productivity matters because not only does it drive growth through higher performance and profits but it also supports, in turn, higher wages, stronger public revenues and greater social prosperity. In the survey that accompanied this research, nearly two-thirds of employees believed that they were no more productive today than they were 3 years ago. These emerging trends mean urgent action is required before the productivity gap widens still further.

Businesses face increasingly competitive pressures from ongoing developments in a global economy, rapid advances in technology, an increasing pace of innovation and changes to working practices. Whilst there is not a consensus on what's behind the problem, there is compelling evidence that too few businesses prioritise productivity and still fewer actually measure it. This limits businesses' pursuit of productivity enhancing management practices and therefore how effectively they are run.